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>By P. Douglas Filaroski >Times-Union staff writer > >The state's first human case of West Nile virus is not >a St. Johns County woman but a Central Florida man who >likely contracted it elsewhere. > >Tests results on Sandy Hudson, 18, of Crescent Beach >came back negative, meaning her fever, headache and >upper body rash are something other than West Nile. > >Additional tests are pending, state health officials >said. > >Meanwhile, positive results Tuesday on a Sumter County >man confirmed Florida's first human case and prompted >West Nile warnings in four more Florida counties. > >The Sumter County man, whom officials did not name, >was exposed to mosquitoes in Louisiana, where 85 >confirmed cases and seven deaths have occurred. > >However, due to uncertainty about where the disease >was acquired, medical alerts went out to the Florida >counties of Sumter, Lake, Marion and Orange, which >includes Orlando. > >Alerts were issued last week for Escambia and Volusia >counties, where several new cases in animals were >discovered in the past two weeks. > >"Even though the risk of contracting West Nile virus >and other mosquito-borne viruses by humans is low, >people need to use protective measures," state Health >Secretary John Agwunobi said. > >Infections are more widespread this year than any >since the virus first appeared in the United States in >1999. This year, there are 139 human cases and eight >deaths in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, according >to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. > >In 2001, the disease infected 66 people in 10 states, >including 12 people in Florida. > >The increased activity is causing concern across the >South, including Northeast Florida, where more >residents are being tested for West Nile and >requesting their neighborhoods be dusted with >mosquito-killing fog. > >Duval County's Mosquito Control Division received 582 >service requests last week from residents increasingly >concerned about the potentially deadly virus. > >"We're knocking them out, but they're coming in pretty >fast," division chief Richard Smith said. > >The agency uses planes that resemble crop dusters and >tanker trucks that roam streets and blow insecticide >fogs to attack the troublesome insects. > >The anxiety is driving people with symptoms into >offices of doctors, who are referring more of their >patients to health officials for testing. > >A state health lab in Jacksonville tested "a few >people recently" for the disease, officials said. All >but the Sumter test came back negative. > >People over 50 are at greatest risk of having severe >disease, officials said.

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